Adhesive tape dispensers are commonly used in homes, shops and offices for closing off packaging or connecting sheets of paper or other articles together. The adhesive tape is supplied in hand palm sized rolls for dispensing tape from the roll in lengths as required. Typically dispensers are configured as xe2x80x9cdesk topxe2x80x9d items available on hand for convenient use.
Normally a length of tape is pulled off the roll when required and a cutting blade provided for severing the tape across at a chosen point to release the length for application to close off a package or seal a letter flap, for example. Generally, the user has to visually assess the length of tape required when severing the tape and before carrying the length of tape to apply the tape to the package or letter. Such visual assessment is rarely completely accurate and so too much or too little tape is severed. Also, in xe2x80x9ccarryingxe2x80x9d the length of tape to the point-of-use, the tape may twist or crinkle leading to an untidy package closure or letter seal. Finally, it is necessary as a separate step to press the tape firmly into position against the package or envelope. All in all, the dispensing of tape is far from convenient.
It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least reduce these problems.
According to the invention there is provided an adhesive tape dispenser having a lower compartment with an aperture at one end, a tape cutting blade extending across the aperture, a tape roll compartment that slidingly fits into the lower compartment to supply an end of a tape from the roll to feed out of the aperture, a pressure roller attached to the tape roll support compartment and mounted across the aperture adjacent the cutting blade for pressing the end of the tape against a surface to which a length of tape is to be applied, and resilient means arranged to bias the pressure roller upwards inside the lower compartment, such that when the tape support compartment is urged downwards and the dispenser moved sideways a length of tape is dispensed from the roll and pressed by the roller against said surface and when the roller is retracted by the resilient means the tape can press against the cutting blade and be severed.
The adhesive tape dispenser may include a lid pivotably connected at an opposite side of the lower compartment to the said one side, in which the lid releasably supports said tape roller compartment
The resilient means may comprise a spring mounted between a bottom inner surface of the lower compartment and a bottom lower outer surface of the tape roll compartment
The tape roll compartment may comprise two like opposing shells that close together to surround and support a tape roll
An externally mounted riding roller may be positioned across the lower compartment adjacent the aperture on an opposite side of the aperture to the pressure roller.